Page 58 - AI for Good - Impact Report

AI for Good

Sustainable Development Goal 17: Partnerships

for the Goals

Strengthen the means of implementation and
revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable
Development
SDG 17 faces significant challenges, with only 5 out of 19
targets currently on track. 402 This lack of progress poses a
threat to the entire SDG 2030 agenda, as SDG 17 is pivotal
in creating the necessary environment to drive progress
across all other SDGs. The UN has highlighted a substantial
US$4 trillion annual investment gap for developing coun-
tries to achieve the SDGs, along with persistent challenges
such as high external debt levels and limited online connec-
tivity in low-income countries.
AI and SDG 17 Impact
According to a study on the impact of AI on SDG
The synergy between AI and SDG 17 is well documented as seen 17, AI could act as an (positive) enabler for 26% of
the targets and act as an inhibitor (negative) for
by the quantity of AI UN use cases in the various repositories: 10 11% of the targets. (Nature Communications, 2020)
use cases out of 40 in AI for Good: Innovate for Impact, 403 and Use case 1
approximately 135 use cases out of 408 in the UN Activities on AI. 404 Aligning AI development locally in line with exter-
This underscores the potential for AI to propel SDG 17 forward nal requirements such as the OECD Principles
of AI.
by providing essential tools to accelerate global partnerships for
sustainable development. 405 For instance, AI can support brain-
storming activities by creating virtual environments to enhance
collaboration between different actors 406 and analyze real-time
data to keep teams informed 407 and provide real-time feedback
for faster international action. 408 Moreover, AI's role in driving GDP
growth (SDG 8) can enable governments to explore new sources
of tax revenue (17.1), although it is crucial to ensure fair and effi-
cient taxation of AI. 409 Additionally, AI can assist organizations in
improving tax compliance, thereby bolstering financial support for link
sustainable development initiatives. 410 Use case 2
Using AI to drive brainstorming activities and
An important consideration is the pivotal role of AI and data real-time feedback to make collaboration more
ownership in shaping the dynamics between countries. 411 The efficient.
development of more use cases from the Global North could exac-
erbate the imbalance in collaboration, potentially marginalizing
the Global South in the international AI landscape. 412 Recognizing
the potential of AI to impact the 2030 Agenda, governments and
international organizations have initiated the development of new
international organizations or agreements to promote collaboration
and international support, such as the "European Group on Ethics in
Science and New Technologies: Statement on Artificial Intelligence, link
Robotics and ‘Autonomous’ Systems", and "OECD: OECD Principles Use case 3
on AI”. 413
Leveraging AI solutions to support tax monitoring.
Key Considerations for Stakeholders

• Collaboration: Align the development of AI solutions with
international recommendations or agreements such as
UNESCO’s ‘Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intel-
ligence’ and the OECD Principles of AI to further support
the development of international collaboration. 414
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